Android users conscious about their devices’ rather limited battery life constantly keep searching for reliable and convenient means to minimize use of resources that drain the battery the most. As we have discussed on so many previous occasions, one of the most effective ways of ensuring that your device’s battery doesn’t drain all that quickly is to keep a close check on Wi-Fi usage. There are quite a few handy solutions in this regard that can be employed to make sure that the Wi-Fi radio on your Android doesn’t remain unnecessarily and/or consistently activated. Previously-reviewed Sentry, that brought with it three-way automated Wi-Fi toggling on Android, is arguably one of the most hassle-free solutions that we have come across so far. However, an XDA member, chamonix, has been busy prepping his very own solution that can, at best, be cited as an enhanced version of the aforementioned Sentry. Currently in beta, Better Wifi On/Off brings forth a comparatively extended pool of conditions that will determine when to enable Wi-Fi connection on your Android, and when not to. Like Sentry, Better Wifi On/Off is Holo-themed, involves minimal configurations, and has the capacity to automatically enable your Android’s Wi-Fi on boot, upon screen unlock, and in case where an active internet connection is detected. That, however, constitutes only half of the app’s features. To explore the complete list of rules, continue reading past the break.

Better Wifi On/Off can prove to be handy for users who’re required to resort to Wi-Fi connectivity on their Android for only short bursts throughout the day, instead of persisting with a permanent Wi-Fi connection that only contributes towards draining their batteries in double the speed. The app supports several handy rules for automatically toggling your Android’s Wi-Fi connection. Below is the complete list of rules that are currently being offered by Better Wifi On/Off:

Option to enable Wi-Fi upon screen wakeup, and disable once screen is turned off (both options can be availed independent of each other)

Enable Wi-Fi upon screen unlock only. Handy in situations where the screen might be turned on accidentally or due to a notification

Enable Wi-Fi in charging mode only, and disconnect once device is unplugged (again, both said options can be set independent of each other)

Hold a WakeLock while plugged in. Handy to prevent the device from going to sleep

Keep Wi-Fi On only if connected to the internet. Automatically disconnects if no active internet connection is detected. Option to specify custom timeout (10 seconds, 30 seconds or 1 minute) to detect a connection

Option to keep Wi-Fi On even if screen goes to sleep during charging. Handy in situations where some large download jobs are in progress

The Wi-Fi off delay feature of the app can come in handy in situations where you want the Wi-Fi to be deactivated after a certain delay (instead of immediately whenever an ‘Off’ condition is fulfilled)

The app’s homescreen sports just an event logger that keeps you updated on the recent activities and actions performed by Better Wifi On/Off. All aforementioned toggles can be found on the app’s settings screen (Menu > Preferences). In addition, said screen also contains options to set the Better Wifi On/Off as a foreground service (to prevent it from being killed by Android’s native task manager), and to customize event logging preferences. In this regard, you have the choice to toggle logging of user interactions with the app, status updates, and/or system-triggered events.

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Since the app is currently in beta, so you may experience a few odd quirks here and there. However, we found the app to work almost flawlessly during a brief test run. Once satisfied with the outcome, the developer aims to release Better WiFi On/Off to the Google Play Store as a free (ad-supported) and a paid (ads-free) version. If things go as planned, we might also see a couple of other nifty features being added to the mix, including time/location based rules for Wi-Fi connectivity, whitelisted access points, and whatever other suggestions users have in their minds.